Anteater Presents: An Essential Guide To Modern Prog.

Anteater · 05-10-2010, 07:35 PM

Going Overtime:
Modern Prog. Band of the Month

Brother Ape

Discography:
* On The Other Side (2005)
* Shangri-La (2006)
* III (2008)
* Turbulence (2009)

Although the people involved have been playing in and around various bands since the late 70's, Brother Ape didn't officially form until the early 2000's, when vocalist & guitarist Stefan Damicolas and drummer Max Bergman recruited in keyboardist Gunnar Maxén and began writing/recording ideas that led to the formation of a dynamic sound which (so far anyway) nobody has been able to duplicate.

Simply put, Brother Ape are one of the hardest bands in today's prog. rock scene to wrap one's head around: they blend Yes-like harmonies with the sort of skittering rhythms and propulsion you'd associate with drum n' bass artists like Venetian Snares whilst pulling off technical maneuvers not too far off from 70's jazz fusion pioneers Weather Report...sometimes all in the space of a single track..and usually with some pop sensibility and some of the finest drum work this side of the century thrown in for good measure, as tracks like these might illustrate-

As of 2010, the band has four LPs out, all of which I drew from to put together the downloadable sampler near the top of the post. Hence, the band can be divided into four 'phases" of development so far, each one a more experimental step than the last. Makes you wonder what they'll do next on the album they're currently in the midst of working on!

So anyway everyone, enjoy the compilation and the vids. I will PM any of these albums to those who request them!